New theater company to stage 'Godot'

When: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and July 14-15, 21-22 and 28-29; 3 p.m. July 9, 16, 23 and 30

Where: Stage Right Theatre, 4418 S. Washington St.

How much: $10

Information: 345-8089 or 353-7888

Another week, another theater company.

Not quite, but with the recent formations of DaJeRo Productions ("A Raisin in the Sun'') and Icarus Artists (which will announce a fall musical soon), not to mention relative neophytes Stage Right Theatre and Merely Players, it sure seems that way.

The latest theater company, Piscean Productions, will make its bow this week with the absurdist drama "Waiting for Godot.''

The group is the brainchild of actor Sirc Michaels, who has directed and acted in several Stage Right plays. It's a successor to one he ran in the Northeast, he said.

"It's a production company that's pretty much dedicated to producing original or underproduced material, . . . shows that will make people think, preferably,'' Michaels said.

"I want people to realize that theater is more than just laughs, ha-ha funny. . . . I want to show that theater might be a whole different thing than they might be used to,'' he said.

Unlike other acting companies in town, Michaels said he is paying his actors. Funds for "Godot'' have come from individual sponsors and advertisers.

"If you talk to people and tell them what you want to do, and if they agree that what you're doing is good, then nine times out of 10, they'll help,'' he said.

Michaels chose "Godot'' for the company's first production despite his fears that it might be seen as too intellectual.

"A lot of people learned about it college, and lots of times that puts a damper on wanting to see it. It's a great play, though,'' he said.

On its simplest terms, the Samuel Beckett play is about two vagabonds waiting on the side of a road for a man named Godot.

"There's lots of different ways it can be interpreted,'' Michaels said. "One of the themes to some degree is about hope. (Vladimir) is the one who maintains hope; the responsibility falls on him because his friend doesn't remember anything, and he keeps reminding his friend that they're waiting for a great thing here.''

But he said he's sure the audience will come up with totally different interpretations.

"It can be taken probably a hundred different ways,'' Michaels said.

Cast members include Bob McDaniel as Vladimir, Billy C. Bankston as Estragon, Neil Webster as Pozzo, Hunter Ingalls as Lucky and Mark Wedgeworth as the boy.

"They are so extremely well-suited to their parts,'' Michaels said. "It's amazing how well everybody fits. There's a rhythm to the show, and they've got it. . . . I think it might be one of the best shows that I've been in. It's a far cry from what I've done in Amarillo.''